Chris Froome sent a personal message of support to a Halsall cyclist who took on the Tour de France on a Raleigh Chopper.

David Sims, 36, a fitness instructor, signed up to ride the full 2078km route through France to raise money for Help the Heroes.

Froome sent the message of encouragement after David had completed stage 18 out of 21 where the Team Sky rider wishes David luck in reaching Paris, and congratulating him on how far he had travelled on the £150 bike.

Dave Sims, who is riding the Tour de France route on a Raleigh Chopper, and Team Sky coach

Froome can be heard saying: “I just wanted to wish you luck.

“Team Chopper's done a fantastic job up until now, I am pretty impressed you have made it this far."

Yesterday, Chris Froome cycled his way into the history books to become the first Briton to win the Tour de France twice.